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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22416469">My Dear</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/amethystcarnelian/pseuds/amethystcarnelian'>amethystcarnelian</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: The Next Generation</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Established Relationship, Geordi and Data are reunited, M/M, spoilers for Star Trek Picard episode 1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-01-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-01-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 03:35:39</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,226</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22416469</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/amethystcarnelian/pseuds/amethystcarnelian</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>'Geordi clicked the final panel into place and took a step back. This was it. 20 years of work. And he couldn't wait to be done.</p><p>Grinning, he ran over to the console at the side of the room to make the final adjustments. A minute or two of tinkering later he was ready. </p><p>"Okay buddy, this is it," Geordi stepped behind Data, pressing his hand into the switch next to Data's spine.</p><p>For the first time in 20 lonely years, Data's bright glow filled Geordi's vision. He was alive.'</p><p>Data is finally back, and a lot has changed, but at the same time, nothing at all</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Data/Geordi La Forge</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>123</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>My Dear</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Geordi clicked the final panel into place and took a step back. This was it. 20 years of work. And he couldn't wait to be done.</p><p>Grinning, he ran over to the console at the side of the room to make the final adjustments. A minute or two of tinkering later he was ready. </p><p>"Okay buddy, this is it," Geordi stepped behind Data, pressing his hand into the switch next to Data's spine.</p><p>For the first time in 20 lonely years, Data's bright glow filled Geordi's vision. He was alive.</p><p>Data's eyes blinked open.</p><p>"Geordi?" Data turned, looking curiously at him, "What happened?"</p><p>He's alive he's alive he's alive! It was then that Geordi began to cry, the hot pressure building behind his ocular implants and spilling outwards, his VISOR no longer around to offer anything to hide behind. "I don't know how much you remember, but you died, Data. You died saving the Captain, saving the ship, saving everyone."</p><p>"Geordi... how long have I been gone?" Data turned to face Geordi more fully, reaching a graceful hand up to trace wrinkles that hadn't been there the last time he had seen this face, carefully wiping away tears from Geordi's cheeks as he went.</p><p>"Twenty years, Data. Twenty years, three months, and twenty six days, Earth time. And you haven't aged a day," Geordi smiled, mirroring Data and tracing his never changing features.</p><p>Data's eyes widened infinitesimally as Geordi spoke. "And you have been working to resurrect me all this time?"</p><p>"I mean, I haven't been living here for two whole decades, I did stay in Starfleet for a while. And there's been bits and pieces of work people have wanted me to do around here on occasion. But... yeah, I suppose I have. I've never really been the best at accepting the death of someone I love." </p><p>Before Geordi had even realised he was moving, Data had pulled him into a tight hug. </p><p>"I know. This is not the first time your refusal to accept my death has saved me. I also would not have liked to give up on you if our situations had been reversed," Data spoke quietly from where he rested his head on Geordi's shoulder.</p><p>Geordi held on tightly, Data's bright glow flooding his vision. "Maybe, but you're a lot easier to rebuild than I am. Besides, it's always been something of a given that you would likely outlive me by a long way. I’d expected to spend the rest of my life with you, and hopefully I'm gonna get my chance."</p><p>"I have no intentions of ever leaving you again, Geordi."</p><p>The two of them stayed like that for a while, holding each other close in the middle of Geordi's cluttered laboratory. If asked, Geordi would have counted himself amongst the luckiest people in the galaxy, he was someone who had seemingly lost the person he loved most on four separate occasions, now, and every time Data had somehow come back. </p><p>Geordi pulled back slightly, and looked Data in the eye. "Hey, you had better stop dying on me, alright? You're already on number five out of the nine lives you apparently have, the stress is gonna kill me one of these days."</p><p>"I do promise to make my best effort to remain alive and functioning," Data paused briefly, tilting his head slightly to the side, "Nine lives? Ah, the myth about cats, of course. What happened to Spot? It is presumable she died several years ago now, as she was 13 when I died 20 years ago, which was already quite an advanced age for a cat," Data inquired while examining the room around them.</p><p>"Worf took care of her for a couple years. I made sure he always told her she was pretty and good, don't worry, and when I visited her she seemed quite happy. Worf loved her, even if he'd never have admitted to it. I played her a recording of your poem, Ode to Spot, once. I'm not sure she understood exactly what was going on, but she liked the sound of your voice. She missed you."</p><p>"I will miss her, too. She was always a good friend, even if she had no understanding of the concept of friendship," Data stepped away from Geordi to go explore more of the small lab, "Where are we?"</p><p>"A small planet called Nitov, it was out of the way enough that I could work on you without being caught. The Federation doesn't know where I am or what I'm doing, and it's been best to keep it that way," at Data's questioning look, Geordi sighed, "This is all illegal, Data. The Federation outlawed synthetic life forms after a group destroyed the colonies on Mars. If the Federation ever find out about us we'll be jailed, or at least I will be, they'd likely take you away and deactivate you."</p><p>"I... will need some time to catch up on the events that I have missed. I only hope that we will be able to remain safe for the time being," Data picked up an old and familiar pipe sitting on Geordi's desk, "You kept this?"</p><p>"I wanted to be able to give it back to you, one day."</p><p>Data pondered the pipe for a moment longer before lifting it up to his mouth and quoting "'My dear Watson, I owe you a thousand apologies. I had no idea that you would be so affected,'" not in the affected English accent typical of his Sherlock Holmes character, but in his own voice, sincerity in his bright eyes.</p><p>"Well, my dear Holmes, I believe it would only be fair to accept your apologies. I didn't spend two decades attempting to bring you back only to be upset with you for leaving in the first place, you had good reason, after all" Geordi shook his head slightly, a smile tugging at his lips "Only you would come back from the dead and then quote Sherlock Holmes at me. You're a ridiculous man."</p><p>"Perhaps," Data said lightly, returning to stand in front of Geordi. He took his time in examining the details of his face, what had changed, what had remained the same.</p><p>"I have missed many of your birthdays."</p><p>"Of all the things to worry about," Geordi chuckled, "You can make it up to me through a couple songs and going sailing with me on the holodeck, that okay?"</p><p>"Certainly," Data leaned ever so slightly closer to Geordi before stopping himself, "May I kiss you? I understand that it has been a very long time and you have likely moved on from our relationship and I would not begrudge you for doing so but it has been both an extremely long time and no time at all and I would very much like to kiss you right now."</p><p>"Still one for long sentences, huh? Don't worry, Data, I don't think I'll ever stop being in love with you, no matter how long we're apart for. So come here, I've been waiting a damn long time for this."</p><p>Data leaned in the rest of the way, kissing Geordi in a way that was so incredibly familiar and yet so long forgotten at the same time. Geordi kissed back, hard. There was a lot of lost time he wanted to start making up for.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Data is alive again somehow and no I will not elaborate. I thought about Geordi seeing Data's glow again after so long apart from him and ended up writing this.</p><p>Thank you for reading!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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